Horror movies the way they used to be...

Rating: 9/10 (21 June 2006)

When most people think of horror movies they immediately think of pointless nudity, gallons of blood and tons of gore; and while that image may be close to reality, the horror genre offers the chance of delivering something else, something intelligent, something deep. Of course, not every director/writer takes that chance, but when they do, it is big. Director Danny Boyle adds a bit of blood to his effective formula of existentialist character studies in "28 Days Later...", a powerful ans smart apocalyptic horror movie in the old style of "Last Man on Earth" or Romero's "Dead" trilogy.
One morning a young British man named Jim awakes from a coma and finds nobody around. He doesn't know it but 28 days before a lethal virus codenamed "Rage" was unleashed by accident leading to thousands of deaths and the evacuation of London and other major cities. Now Jim, along with a handful of other survivors must find a safe place and a way to find other survivors of the epidemic before being killed by the hundreds of still living infected people.
"28 Days Later..." is a horror film the way the genre used to be, it is not only an entertaining and scary movie, it is a through-provoking one. Written by Alex Garland, the film offers a surprisingly realist and very insightful take on humanity and survival, as well as providing an interesting social commentary on the easy corruption of the authority. Sure, it may not be the most original movie in the world, but the execution of the whole idea is near perfect. Director Danny Boyle builds up his story at the right pace and lets the story unfold smoothly.
The realistic visuals used in the film gives the movie a semi-documentary look that gives the film a frightening realism. As usual, Boyle's focus is in the characters rather than in the plot and this approach is just what makes this horror movie so different than other examples of modern horror. He makes us know, like and eventually care for this characters in a very reminiscent way to what George Romero did in "Night of the Living Dead" and its sequels. This is no coincidence as Danny Boyle doesn't hide his influences; the film pays true tribute to well-known classics of the genre without being derivative or pretentious.
Cillian Murphy is simply superb as the lead character, but credit must also go to Naomi Harris, Brendan Gleeson and Megan Burns, who play the other survivors Jim finds. Naomie Harris gives a terrific performance as a woman who will do whatever is necessary to survive, and Gleeson and Burns are very effective and their father-daughter relationship is very believable. Murphy has earned praise for his performance but it is safe to say that without this good supporting cast the movie wouldn't be the same.
If a flaw was to be found in "28 Days Later..." it would be that probably the film may not everyone's cup of tea. Fans of horror will be really pleased but the casual movie goer may be turned off by the grim depressing tone of the film and its ruthless violence. Other than that the film is near perfect and while not the most original horror film, it is one of the best executed examples of the so-called "zombie sub-genre".
With its well-rounded characters, its witty plot and its remarkable visual style, this modern horror film proves that it deserves all the hype surrounding it. While only time will prove if the film becomes a classic or not, it is definitely one of the best horror movies of the decade. 9/10